bunnystyck Reviews

Season of the Witch (2011)

Enjoyable B-Movie Popcornfest

[9/10 · 7 January 2011]

I walked out of the theater so thrilled to have spent my money on a Nicholas Cage movie. Its not often that happens.

I heard from a unenthusiastic review (one of numerous scathing reviews out there, as anyone with the internet can tell) about the on screen shenanigans with Nick Cage and Ron Perlman were so enjoyable that it made the rest of the movie bearable. Going in with that anticipation, I found myself not only pulled into their characters' fun and convincing friendship but also into an intense and yes even edge-of-your-seat suspenseful movie. I forgot about my troubles for the day and enjoyed a good adventure.

It was inspired, yes, by DnD, video games, and a number of other swords and sorcery books and movies that preceded it, but it is its own story. In a market saturated with sequels, prequels, reboots, comicbook diarrhea, etc... it's nice to see a story that is it's own, however simple.

Yes it plays by the numbers. You know guys will die. Hell, you probably know who and in what order, if you've seen movies of it's ilk. You know there is a supernatural bad guy. And you know there will be one liners, oh are there ever one-liners! But the characters are fun to watch, even a little engaging. You may not want to see them die. I didn't. They weren't a group of scum with a bullseye for heraldry. The enemy was threatening and tricky, a real danger to our protagonists. And the one liners were, gasp, funny! Yes, even Nicholas Cage is worth the price of admission here. If this was "just another paycheck" role for him, he looked like he was having a lot of fun with this roll. And I don't know about you, but I like to see my actors have fun in a movie that costs me 9-12 bucks to see..

It looses some points with me for the CGI. obvious CGI is obvious. But honestly the crispy gray CGI contrasting against a darker, colorful, moody lighting STILL didn't detract from the encounters or the climax. If you come to the movies to have CGI convince you that magic and demons are real, you come to the movies for jaded and asinine reasons. If you wanna see pretty visuals with a meandering pointless story, go see Tron.

But if you wanna see a fun yet dark heroic adventure, go see Season of the Witch!

Alexander (2004)

From another "Close Minded American Idiot"

[1/10 · 20 March 2006]

I've read through quite a lot of comments of this movie, and as per usual to movies of this type, the common feeling seems to be "if people didn't like it then they were obviously 'ignorant' or 'homophobes'". While the movie had scenes that would make the "Average Joe" squirm awkwardly in their seats, there is more that can be attributed to that reaction then the homosexual erotica.

As you might tell from the low score, I didn't like this movie. Perhaps the only reason why it got such a "high score" out of me is because I enjoyed every second Val Kilmer was on screen. He made that movie just a little more bearable. But his talents (as well as the other actors apart of this project) were wasted in a movie that felt more obsessed over artistic, jerky camera angles, muted colors, and taboo subject matter then the actual fascinating life and legends of Alexander the Great.

I went into the movie with high hopes. The trailers looked promising and I believed that the movie was very well cast, but I walked out more disappointed with this movie then I should have been. For a story that should have been treated with a bit more of a linear perspective of Alexander's youth to his death (and everything in between), it hopped around like a suicidal jackrabbit in the middle of the New Jersey turnpike. Changing position without warning and begging for something to quickly put it out of it's misery.

I think a lot of historically significant moments in Alexander's life should have been there, not just because they would have been cool to see, but because I think they help frame his character for the audience to make him more real. Not event the battles that made him legend were treated in any sort of way that would make them understandable. Unless you were a history or war tactics major of some sort, I dun think there was any way of knowing the tactical genius going on through the dust and shaky cameras. And what might have been a memorable and uplifting speech for the first fight in the movie was traded in for a literal bird's eye view that didn't help to further the plot in any way at all.

I'm all for 3 hour movies, but if they *feel* like 3 hours, it's time to get a new editor. Long, drawn out, and uncomfortable dialog accompanied by non linear scenes that stunt any kind of character development is a bit hard on the average movie goer looking for an action packed, historically epic hero's journey.

Atop of those problems, it felt like the director was *aiming* to make his audience uncomfortable. Perhaps it's an artistic attempt to observe people's reactions. But there is a right way and a wrong way to get reactions out of people based on taboo subject matter. Alexander was a wrong way. With the main character as vapid and uninteresting as the plot-less plot, throwing in a couple scenes of hardcore sex and overly suggestive homo-erotica, it begins to feel less like a movie, more like a cheap peepshow. Every single thing felt disjointed, inhuman, and full of void. If you like that kind of thing, more power to you. But I didn't appreciate it.

By the end of it I found myself not caring to know any more about this historical juggernaut. It's sad really. This movie certainly proves that you're better off listening in history class or reading a book to make your own movie in your head, because this movie certainly did not live up to what it had to deliver. If you want to learn about and be amazed by the story of Alexander the Great, read about it, watch documentaries, and maybe there are some worthwhile made for TV movies available. If your looking for an overly and unnecessarily artsy Hollywood film that's supposed to be about Alexander... go right ahead.

A History of Violence (2005)

I'm getting real sick of bad movies

[1/10 · 8 October 2005]

i did indeed have high hopes for this movie but, aside from Alexander, it was the worst movie i've seen so far. it was boring, predictable, and painful.

the violence is probably the best part of it all, very graphic. but with the huge gaps of uncomfortable silences, worse then below average acting, laughable sex scenes, and forceful foreshadowing, it's a movie that won't be out in the theaters for long.

what is a huge disappointment, especially, is the antagonists. William Hurt must have been drunk when he did this movie. it seemed like with every cut scene his got more and more inebriated.

every time the actress playing the wife came in the room, covered in overacting like the stink of garbage, she ruined every scene. as if the scenes couldn't get any more boring, dragging on, with no music to hold your interest.

i warn those who read this, don't waste your money on this movie like i did. and when it comes out on rental, don't rent it. let's pretend this never ever came out.